I keep getting negative feedback from other races because they said I refuse to trade valuable resources to them. I think the 'Control Restricted Resources Priority' option is the thing to fix it, but not sure. Do i set the priority 'low' to trade almost anything to any races, and keep 'high' to keep it all for myself?

My guess - I mod that way - is that the AI wants to have it and combined with the "go to war" chance will most likely ensure they will priorize colonies with that. Furthermore they will be more reluctant to trade them - higher necessary approval beforehand.

I keep getting negative feedback from other races because they said I refuse to trade valuable resources to them. I think the 'Control Restricted Resources Priority' option is the thing to fix it, but not sure. Do i set the priority 'low' to trade almost anything to any races, and keep 'high' to keep it all for myself?

AFAIK The 'restricted' resources referred to are only Loros Fruit, Korabian Spice and Zentabia Fluid. You allow trade with other empires in those 3 resources via the check box on the diplomacy screen.

When you select an empire on the diplomacy screen, the check box is on the bottom.

The options in the policy settings won't have any effect if you are controlling diplomacy manually.

It's not diplomatic, it's a race policy. It definies a peoples character.

I'm talking about the Empire Policy settings, and what they specifically affect. For example, the restricted resources priority drop-down menu. Does it affect your auto-constructors and auto-fleets to make sure that the Spice Will Flow? Or does it affect your auto-diplo and its' willingness to trade these resources? Or both?

It will definetly let your constructors grab these ressources on a higher priority than they already do... it will further incline your advisors - or the AI - to ask to trade it from other empires... If it prevents one race from trading it more likely and going to war for it in contrast to the warpriority, I don't know. I assume it.

So, in your observation, it controls multiple facets of the AI's gameplay decisions? If that is what you are trying to say, I agree, and I think I have seen the same thing. But it is hard to say with this game sometimes.

So what consists of 'Restricted Resources'? You're telling me the empire setting will allow you to prioritize what resources to get first by your construction ships? You are also telling me it affects what items we trade? I'm kinda lost still.

The empire policy does not only steer your behavior, it is an AI routine in general. You can manage your AI in automation with the help of it or tweak your enemies a notch... in a mod for example. Therefore these settings of course influnce their whole gameplay.

The empire policy does not only steer your behavior, it is an AI routine in general. You can manage your AI in automation with the help of it or tweak your enemies a notch... in a mod for example. Therefore these settings of course influnce their whole gameplay.